The process has been used to oversee several programs, including ideas for the department's fledgling Overseas Presence Advisory Panel project, he said.

The process begins with two separate groups that have equal veto power, Burbano said.

The State Technical Review Advisory Group screens projects for technical feasibility, risk and compliance with security standards, then recommends changes or technical refinements and ranks projects based on need, Burbano said.

The Management Review Advisory Group studies IT projects to make sure they meet the agency's business requirements and are cost effective, then ranks proposals based on what is needed on the business side of the agency, Burbano said.

A group with members from the department's technical and management offices resolves differences between the advisory panels' findings and then forwards project plans to the State Information Technology Program Board.